January 12, 1965 –
At 10:58am PST, on this date, US government scientists conduct what they term a “controlled excursion,” launching a nuclear rocket in Jackass Flats, Nevada and burning off a portion of its radioactive core. The resultant radioactive close drifted over Los Angeles before It produced a radioactive cloud over Los Angeles.
Documents released in 1994 revealed that the cloud was an “intentional accident” designed to test the possible effects of a malfunction aboard a rocket. A federal committee noted in 1994 that while the radioactivity levels were extremely low and unlikely to have caused illnesses, Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey, a member of the committer said “an intentional reactor accident releasing a radioactive cloud should not be considered prudent public policy.”
The Haus of Dcaligari 